Saturday, August 6, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Joel De La Cruz vs. Carlos Martinez

The Atlanta Braves head to Busch Stadium on Saturday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable pitchers are Joel De La Cruz for the Braves and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The Braves have a 48-53-7 over/under mark and a 50-58-0 run line record, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cardinals are 53-55-0 against the run line and have a 57-45-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 49% of the time.

The Braves head into this game with a 39-69 record, and they are 21-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Joel De La Cruz has a 0-3 record with an ERA of 3.80 and a WHIP of 1.27. He has 12 strikeouts during his 23.2 innings pitched and he has given up 25 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.07. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.05 and they have allowed 348 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the pen while they've been struck out 362 times and walked 176 times this year. As a unit, Atlanta has given up 8.6 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.56 hitters per nine. They are 23rd in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.37. The Braves pitchers have collectively given up 932 base hits and 473 earned runs. They have allowed 119 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Atlanta as a pitching staff has walked 376 batters and struck out 819. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.33.

As a team, Atlanta is hitting .244, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .238 average on the road. The Braves have a .358 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .307 which is good for 25th in the league. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.31 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this game hitting .278 and his on-base percentage is at .362. He has 113 hits this season along with 54 runs scored and 43 runs batted in. He's struck out 122 times and has walked 47 times. Nick Markakis is hitting .266 and he has an on-base percentage of .343. He has totaled 107 hits so far while scoring 42 runs and he's driven in 56. He has walked 49 times and has struck out 69 times. The Braves have 896 hits, including 185 doubles and 66 home runs. They've stolen 54 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 25 times. Atlanta has walked 310 times this season and they've struck out 820 times as a unit. They've left 773 men on base and have a team OPS of .665. They score 3.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 376 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this game with a 25-30 home mark and a 57-51 overall record. With an ERA of 2.99, Carlos Martinez has a 10-6 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 103 strikeouts over the 126.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 104 hits. He has allowed 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.71. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 260 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 313 times and walking 119 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.63 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.69 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.96. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 928 base knocks and 426 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 97 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 299 hitters and struck out 827. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 3.77.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .252 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.84 hits per contest. Aledmys Diaz comes into this matchup batting .312 and he has an OBP of .376. He has 110 hits this year along with 64 runs scored and 57 RBI. He's struck out 54 times and has walked on 34 occasions. Matt Carpenter is hitting .298 and he has an OBP of .420. He has collected 85 hits so far while he's scored 56 runs and drove in 53. He has earned a walk 58 times and has punched out 61 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 956 base hits, including 207 doubles and 148 homers. They have 26 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 364 times this year and they have struck out 853 times. They've had 758 men left on base and have an OPS of .772. They score 5.03 runs per game and have totaled 543 runs so far this season.

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 48-53-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Atlanta Braves are 50-58-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 57-45-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 53-55-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Atlanta Braves

08/02/16 P Julio Teheran Back 15-day DL (7/31)
08/01/16 P Matt Marksberry Shoulder 15-day DL (7/31)
07/16/16 P Arodys Vizcaino Oblique 15-day DL (7/15)
07/12/16 C Tyler Flowers Hand 15-day DL (7/10)
06/28/16 P John Gant Oblique 15-day DL (6/27)
06/20/16 LF Mallex Smith Thumb 15-day DL (6/20)
06/08/16 P Williams Perez Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (6/7)
04/12/16 P Daniel Winkler Elbow 60-day DL (4/11)
04/04/16 P Andrew McKirahan Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Paco Rodriguez Elbow out for season
04/04/16 P Shae Simmons Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

St. Louis Cardinals

08/04/16 3B Matt Carpenter Oblique 15-day DL (7/7), expected to be activated & be in the starting lineup Friday vs. Atlanta Braves
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 15-day DL (7/31)
08/02/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Thumb 15-day DL (8/1)
07/27/16 P Trevor Rosenthal Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (7/26)
07/07/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (7/7)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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